American Express issues three personal Hilton Honors cards. They are the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors Amex, the Hilton Surpass, and the Hilton Aspire.
The cards differ in automatic elite status, earn rates, and credits. The Hilton Honors Business Card lists a $195 annual fee.
This comparison covers the three personal cards. Figures are as of October 2026.
Card Overview
| Card | Annual Fee | Status | Free Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Amex | $0 | Silver | None on an annual basis |
| Surpass | $150 | Gold | After $15,000 spend |
| Aspire | $550 | Diamond | Each year, plus spend |
The Hilton Honors American Express Card has no annual fee. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $550 annual fee. The Surpass annual fee in the table is $150.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card lists a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. Surpass rates and fees dated October 8, 2026 list a $150 annual fee.
The table uses $150 as the ongoing fee. The fee on an application is the fee in that offer’s terms.
American Express charges no foreign transaction fee on these three cards.
Elite Status Progression
Hilton publishes the benefit lists for Silver, Gold, and Diamond on its member benefits page. Gold includes Silver benefits. Diamond includes Gold and Silver benefits.
A further tier, Diamond Reserve, sits above Diamond. None of these three cards includes Diamond Reserve.
Silver Status (Hilton Amex)
The no-annual-fee card includes Hilton Honors Silver status.
- 20% bonus on base points earned on stays
- Fifth night free on a standard room booked entirely with points
- Two bottles of water at select hotels
Spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year can upgrade that status to Gold through the end of the next calendar year.
Gold Status (Surpass)
The Surpass includes Hilton Honors Gold status.
- 80% bonus on base points earned on stays
- Fifth night free on a standard room booked entirely with points
- Space-available room upgrades, up to executive-floor room types
- A daily food and beverage credit at select U.S. brands and at Motto by Hilton worldwide, or continental breakfast at select brands outside the U.S.
The credit or breakfast covers the member and one guest in the same room. A member who gets breakfast in an executive lounge does not also get the food and beverage credit.
Spending $40,000 on the Surpass in a calendar year can upgrade that status to Diamond through the end of the next calendar year.
Diamond Status (Aspire)
The Aspire includes Hilton Honors Diamond status.
- 100% bonus on base points earned on stays
- Fifth night free on a standard room booked entirely with points
- Space-available room upgrades, up to a one-bedroom suite
- Executive lounge access
- Premium Wi-Fi
- Hilton’s 48-hour room guarantee, with restrictions Hilton publishes
Diamond also includes the Gold food and beverage credit or continental breakfast, on the same brand and region rules.
Status Gap Analysis
Silver adds a 20% points bonus, a fifth award night, and water at select hotels. It does not include the Gold food and beverage credit or breakfast.
Gold adds that credit or breakfast, and space-available upgrades up to executive-floor rooms. Diamond adds lounge access, upgrades up to a one-bedroom suite, premium Wi-Fi, and the 48-hour room guarantee. Diamond Reserve remains a separate tier these cards do not include.
Earning Rate Comparison
Rates below are Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar charged on the card. Hilton portfolio rates apply to purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
| Category | Hilton Amex | Surpass | Aspire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton portfolio, booked direct | 7x | 12x | 14x |
| U.S. restaurants | 5x | 6x | 7x |
| U.S. supermarkets | 5x | 6x | 3x |
| U.S. gas stations | 5x | 6x | 3x |
| U.S. online retail | 3x | 4x | 3x |
| Flights, direct or Amex Travel | 3x | 3x | 7x |
| Select car rentals, booked direct | 3x | 3x | 7x |
| All other eligible purchases | 3x | 3x | 3x |
Notable Differences
The Aspire rate on direct Hilton charges is 14x. The no-annual-fee card rate on those same charges is 7x.
The Surpass rate at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations is 6x. The Aspire rate on those purchases is 3x, because they fall in all other eligible purchases.
The Aspire 7x flight rate applies to flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel. The Aspire 7x car rental rate applies to rentals booked directly with select car rental companies. The other two cards earn 3x on those purchases.
The Surpass rate on U.S. online retail is 4x. The other two cards earn 3x on those purchases.
Free Night Mechanics
Hilton Amex
The card does not include a Free Night Reward each year. As of October 2026, Hilton’s card page lists a welcome offer on this card. The offer is a Free Night Reward and 70,000 bonus points after $2,000 in the first six months. That offer ends January 13, 2027. A welcome certificate is not an annual reward.
Surpass
The Surpass earns one Free Night Reward after $15,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Aspire
The Aspire includes one Free Night Reward in the first year of card membership and one each year on renewal. In a calendar year, another reward is earned after $30,000 in purchases. A further reward is earned after an additional $30,000 in that same year.
Free Night Value
Hilton’s Free Night Reward exclusions describe the reward as one standard accommodation, double occupancy, at portfolio properties that offer that room. Properties on the list are excluded.
The list is largely club, timeshare, and residence properties. It does not exclude Waldorf Astoria or Conrad hotels as brands.
Surpass card terms state that this reward expires one year after issuance. Those terms also state that the reward includes resort fees and room taxes, except a tourism tax at properties in Malaysia. The terms do not set a point cap. The limit they state is the standard room and the exclusion list.
Annual Credit Structure
Hilton Amex
The no-annual-fee card page does not list an annual Hilton statement credit.
Surpass
The Surpass credit is up to $50 in statement credits each calendar quarter, and up to $200 a year. Eligible charges are purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio. Surpass card terms limit a qualifying booking to a reservation channel Hilton operates. They state that third-party bookings do not qualify. Quarters in those terms are January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December.
This credit is not limited to resort properties.
Aspire
The Aspire page lists these credits.
- Up to $200 in statement credits per semi-annual period at participating Hilton resorts, for up to $400 a year.
- Up to $50 each quarter on flight purchases made directly with an airline, on AmexTravel.com, or in the Amex Travel app, for up to $200 a year.
- Up to $219 per calendar year toward a CLEAR+ membership charged to the card. The credit excludes taxes and fees. The membership is subject to auto-renewal.
- Up to $100 on qualifying charges at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties. The stay must be at least two nights and booked on the Aspire benefit rate at HiltonHonorsAspireCard.com, or by calling Hilton at 855-292-5757.
The resort, flight, and CLEAR+ caps sum to $819. The $100 property credit sits outside that sum and requires the booking path above.
Surpass and Aspire card members can enroll for National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through the American Express account. The no-annual-fee card page does not list that status.
How do published credit caps compare with each annual fee?
Hilton Amex
The annual fee is $0. The product page does not list an annual statement credit to set against a fee.
Surpass ($150)
The ongoing annual fee used in the table is $150. The Hilton credit cap is $200 a year, posted at up to $50 a quarter, and only on eligible direct Hilton charges. The published cap is larger than that ongoing fee. Credits do not post when the charges are ineligible.
Aspire ($550)
The annual fee is $550. The resort, flight, and CLEAR+ caps sum to $819. That sum is larger than the fee. Each credit posts only against its own eligible charges. The $100 Waldorf Astoria and Conrad credit is available only on a qualifying two-night booking.
What status and credit terms come with each fee?
Hilton Amex ($0)
The card has no annual fee and includes Silver status. Gold status through the end of the next calendar year follows $20,000 of eligible purchases in a calendar year. There is no annual Free Night Reward and no annual Hilton statement credit.
Surpass ($150)
The ongoing fee is $150. The card includes Gold status, a Free Night Reward after $15,000 in a calendar year, and up to $200 in Hilton statement credits. Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year follows $40,000 of eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Aspire ($550)
The fee is $550. The card includes Diamond status and a Free Night Reward in the first year and on each renewal. Further Free Night Rewards follow $30,000 of purchases and an additional $30,000 in the same calendar year.
Published credit caps are $400 at participating resorts, $200 on qualifying flights, and $219 toward CLEAR+. A separate credit of up to $100 applies at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad on a qualifying two-night stay.
Product Restrictions
Welcome Offer Eligibility
Surpass offer terms state that a person may not be eligible for the welcome offer if they have or have had this card or the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card. Each card’s current offer terms control that card’s welcome offer.
The no-annual-fee, Surpass, and Aspire card pages do not state a limit of one Hilton card per person.
Status That Comes With the Card
Silver, Gold, and Diamond in the table are benefits of the card that lists them. Hilton also awards status from nights, stays, and eligible spend on stays. Those program paths are separate from the card benefit.
Spending Scenario Comparisons
Points on a dollar amount depend on which purchase categories make up the spend. The rows below record which published Free Night Rewards and card-spend status upgrades those amounts meet. They do not price points or status in dollars.
Hilton’s night counts for status are separate. Silver is 10 nights. Gold is 25 nights. Diamond is 50 nights. Diamond Reserve is 80 nights plus $18,000 of eligible spend.
Scenario 1: 10 Hilton nights, $30,000 of eligible purchases
Ten nights meet Silver’s night count. They do not meet Gold’s 25-night count.
| Card | Free Night Reward | Card-spend status |
|---|---|---|
| Amex | No annual reward | $20,000 Gold upgrade is met |
| Surpass | $15,000 reward is met | $40,000 Diamond upgrade is not met |
| Aspire | Annual reward, plus the reward at $30,000 | Diamond is already included with the card |
The Aspire’s further reward, which requires another $30,000 in that same year, is not met at $30,000.
Scenario 2: 5 Hilton nights, $15,000 of eligible purchases
Five nights are below Silver’s 10-night count.
| Card | Free Night Reward | Card-spend status |
|---|---|---|
| Amex | No annual reward | $20,000 Gold upgrade is not met |
| Surpass | $15,000 reward is met | $40,000 Diamond upgrade is not met |
| Aspire | Annual reward only | Diamond is already included |
The Aspire reward at $30,000 is not met at $15,000 of purchases.
Common Misconceptions
“The Aspire matches every pattern of Hilton spending.” The Aspire annual fee is $550. The resort credit applies at participating Hilton resorts. The flight credit applies to flights bought directly from an airline or through American Express Travel. Charges outside those rules do not post those credits.
“A person can hold only one of these Hilton cards.” The three card pages do not state that limit. Welcome-offer eligibility is separate. Surpass terms restrict that offer for someone who has or has had the Surpass or the Hilton Honors Amex Ascend Card.
“Gold and Diamond use the same benefit list.” Diamond adds executive lounge access, space-available upgrades up to a one-bedroom suite, premium Wi-Fi, and a 48-hour room guarantee. Gold upgrades stop at executive-floor rooms. Hilton also publishes Diamond Reserve above Diamond. These cards do not include Diamond Reserve.
“The Aspire earns a higher rate than the Surpass on every purchase.” The Aspire rate is higher on direct Hilton charges, on U.S. restaurants, and on the qualifying flight and car rental categories. The Surpass rate is higher at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail.
